HD Antenna Size DOES Matter
December 28th, 2007
When it comes to buying the best hd antenna, bigger is better. You might find some bigger antennas that aren’t so well designed, or you might find a small one that has some special features to give you a little better reception, but the rule is: bigger is better. If an antenna is double the size, you can pretty much figure that it will get double the reception.
That’s how the physics works. Antenna size has to do with a wavelength of radio carrier used to for television signal transmission. The classical antenna - dipole, is exactly half wavelength size. Antennas much smaller than dipole size have much less efficiently and won’t be able to pick weak TV signals.
If you live in a big city you might consider a smaller indoor hd antenna. In that situation, the OTA tower is probably relatively close to your home, so you don’t need as much length. Keep in mind though that lots of OTA users in downtown urban areas have trouble with the signal bouncing off the buildings and getting all mixed up. In this case, the solution of choice would still be an outdoor hdtv antenna with a high front-to-back ratio for the best multipath rejection.
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